CAROL LINK: Trip to Smokies chance to enjoy wildflowers, animals

In late August, Oscar and I spent a few days in the Smoky Mountains. One day we visited Cade’s Cove to look for wildflowers and to possibly spot a deer or an elusive bear.

By Carol LinkSpecial to The Times

In late August, Oscar and I spent a few days in the Smoky Mountains. One day we visited Cade’s Cove to look for wildflowers and to possibly spot a deer or an elusive bear.Although the Smoky Mountains have been one of our vacation destination for many years, this trip was the first time I noticed that one of this area’s most prolific native shrubs appeared to be absent. I did not see a single oakleaf hydrangea. But wildflowers were plentiful. Stands of brilliant Red Cardinal flower and red bee balm, white butterfly weed and Queen Anne’s lace, brilliant goldenrod, bright yellow black-eyed Susan and tiny orange touch-me-nots all flourished in ditches, along streams, on hills and amid clumps of large rocks. Although not in bloom, rhododendrons were plentiful; the shrub grows in nooks and crannies, under trees, along swift waterways and shallow branches, with lush branches overhanging ditches all along the roadways.Honeysuckles and trumpet vines climbed trees and rustic fences and crawled along the ground displaying red and orange blossoms. Morning glories infiltrated bushes and brush along the roadway and in the fields, displaying delicate, multi-colored blossoms.Although there were no downed trees or debris along the roadway, while riding through the cove we saw several areas in the forest where trees had been uprooted. It may have happened this spring, when high winds hit the cove and several carloads of sightseers were stranded overnight. We usually see at least one or two deer, but no bears. However, on this trip we did not see any deer, but from a distance we saw a mama bear and two cubs. The bears were spotted way back in the forest among a few rotted logs, in dappled shade. Traffic in the cove was heavy and with cars pulled over on both sides of the narrow dirt road, movement was slow. Oscar parked our car and I grabbed my camera. We followed the crowd to the area where the bears had been spotted.Keeping our distance, I snapped a couple of photos, but because of the distance, the images of the bears are small and indistinct.The following day, driving over the mountain to Cherokee, N.C., with the purple mountain’s majestic haze in the distance, we noticed dead trees throughout the green forest. Scanning the horizon, the bare, whitish-gray, naked skeletons stood out like tall, multi-armed matchstick men. If pine beetles have inflicted the damage on the evergreens, the huge forest eventually may be decimated unless something is done to stop the insects. Each time I visit the Smoky Mountains and see all the huge rocks along the river banks and scattered throughout the forest, I recall a tale I heard as a child, which was told by a cousin on Mother’s side of the family. According to the story, which most likely was handed down by my Native American ancestors and may have originated in the Smoky Mountains, the Great Spirit was angry with someone and used a vast apron to deposit huge rocks all over the earth. (Has anyone else ever heard a similar tale? Please contact me if you have.)On our way back over the mountains to Pigeon Forge, we traveled up to Clingman’s Dome for a magnificent view. At the highest point in the mountains, the temperature was 66 degrees. During our six-day visit, temperatures in the valley fluctuated between 73 and 77 degrees.

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